


The Chapel Incident Epilogue (KGS3)

by poodgutz



Category: Danganronpa
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-31
Updated: 2019-12-31
Packaged: 2021-02-27 10:09:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,271
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22055338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/poodgutz/pseuds/poodgutz
Summary: This is old lmao-
Kudos: 1





	The Chapel Incident Epilogue (KGS3)

KGS3 EPILOUGE (pov character is mostly rinni)

It had been roughly three weeks since they all had made a relatively safe return to Japan. The first few days they could all barely breathe with all the news reporters all over them, but things had quieted down slightly and they were able to spend quiet evenings in their new house. The night was dark, and a little cold. That didn't really matter to any of the 7 housemates. Some of them were crowded around a noisy television in the living room, another was sitting outside, enjoying the night breeze and meditating. Two were sitting in their room talking about their day and enjoying each other's company. Most of them were making the best of this night, but not all of them. The gliding of a pen over paper. Soft airy instrumental music in a dimly lit room. The oppressively cute atmosphere which was supposed to be here was overshadowed by the feeling of emptiness in the room. 'A couple of fake entries should do it....' she whispered after writing some shallow diary entries in the first few pages of her notebook. They were all labeled 'Rinni’s day' on top of the page, and all ended on happy notes. Remarking on what yummy foods the cartoonist had eaten or how many good drawings she had made that day. These were all fake, of course, someone in this mental state wouldn't be able to reach their usual artistic potential. It had been roughly a month since two of her closest companions had been brutally murdered. A month since she held the lifeless corpse of the only person who ever loved her in her hands. It had been a month ago that she watched her best friend, her role model since childhood, walk away from her, only to orchestrate a complex suicide hours later. The memories were still fresh in her mind, and they would be, forever. She still heard the voices in her sleep, she didn't shun them or run away from them. She welcomed them with open arms no matter how many insults or existential crises they threw at her. This was to blame for her terrible mental state, she needed to learn to let go. At least this is what her friends told her. She knew they were right, but she didn't want to let go. She wanted to cling on to at least a little bit of hope, but it was hard. It's hard to be happy when your boyfriend is dead and it's partially your fault. It's hard to have hope when your idol and best friend is dead and its partially your fault. She turned the notebook over, and upside down, and began to write from the last page as if it were the first. It was time to write in her actual diary. '#1 Things I've eaten today: nothing Things I've done apart from sulking in bed: nothing Times Kaz has tried to cheer me up: too many to count, I'm starting to feel bad for him....' She sighed and puffed up her pillow, and laid down, the writing was hard. She closed the notebook and tucked it under her pillow with a sigh. She started to think, what else could she possibly do? The group crowded around the television let out a hearty laugh. Popcorn popped in the microwave, and after a long wait, there was a knock at the door. She groaned, she didn't want to talk to anyone right now, she probably looked like shit. She slid out of her bed and took a look into her mirror, she did look like shit. she brushed her hair quickly and walked over to her door, haphazardly tossing the brush onto her bed. She opened the door and there stood one of her friends, someone who tried to help fill the voids in her heart with her presence, but ultimately....failed 'Oh....hi Mikako....' she greeted in her usual soft, tired voice. 'Hello rinni, I see you haven't left your room... are you alright...? We are all watching a movie downstairs...' 'Oh yeah... fine...just a little tired, is all....thank you for worrying though.... I bet that's a funny movie you've all watching....' The exorcist smiled, 'it has some good moments, I think you would enjoy it, as do i. I just had to come inside from meditating to see what all the commotion was about....but look, i have brought you a treat...some sweet popcorn Akane made. She made a couple of different types and...i figured you would like this one....' Her eyes started to well up with tears, small gestures like these seemed to get to her recently, she loved sweet popcorn. 'Oh- that's so....sweet of you...i....thank you....' she took the bowl of sweets and set it down on her desk, then gave the exorcist a tight hug. After Mikako had left and she was back in her bed, munching on sweet popcorn, she added something to the diary entry. 'Things I've eaten: Sweet popcorn, X calories' After a long time and a well-deserved nap. She decided she would need change out of her pajamas soon, and into something more comfortable, a very familiar navy blue hoodie. First, she needed to wash it though, so she picked up the bundle of weird smells and conflicting memories, and hesitantly stepped out of her room and into the dimly lit hallway. She hadn’t left the house in a long time, Or so the group thought. She snuck out frequently, mostly to just sit alone outside after everyone had fallen asleep. It reminded her of the countless nights she slept on the grave she dug in the courtyard. There was always this soft ocean breeze carried over from the shore, it reminded her of her old home. She had many homes recently, but this place was just the house she shared with six other people. She liked them all, yes. Well, she was most scared of them. Why wouldn’t she be? Two of them planned her boyfriend’s murder after all. But that’s beside the point. She tiptoed down the hall, carrying the hoodie in a tight hug, scared that anyone might come over and rip it away from her. She stared dead ahead and fixed her bangs to partially cover her face, and walked quietly to the staircase, carefully descending without a sound. The house was almost completely silent, save for her soft breathing. Before she could reach the end of the stairs, she heard a loud: crack! Pop! Ssssssss- Someone was in the kitchen. Cracking open a cold one, as it were. Her eyes darted around the landing in a frenzy, but there was no one nearby, no one in the small corner of the kitchen visible from where she stood. Had it all just been an illusion? Or was Kaz awake too late for his own good? Maybe someone was just getting a late night snack, maybe she would do that too? but first she needed to get away from the stairs, anyone wanting to return to their room would pass by her if she stayed here. She scurried hurriedly towards the foreboding laundry room, keeping her frightened eyes trained on the direction from where the sound came. Then there was another cacophony of sound, the clicking of a button, the robotic startup of the living room television, the whirring of the DVR, the clacking of a cd case and the hum of said cd entering its slot. She peeked out of the laundry room and stared into the living room. What greeted her sent chills down her spine. There sat a ginger man she was all too familiar with, with a cold, dreary look on his face. Bored brown eyes, and a tightly pressed, almost forced smile on his face. She felt the lack of food rise up in her throat and threaten to escape, but she was able to catch herself and stumble backward into the laundry room….And into a laundry basket. She shut her eyes tightly to seal the evil away and gasped, anxiety bubbling in her chest as she cowered deeper into the corner, pressing the hoodie against herself as to not lose it. ‘You clumsy fool!’ she thought to herself. She slowly and carefully removed the laundry basket from her head, whispering small curses and praying to the ghosts that haunt her that no one heard anything. Luckily the ginger was too preoccupied trying to enjoy a horror movie to pay attention to her. Despair was hard to get these days, especially when you don't know where you are. At all. And murder is illegal. Amnesia’s a biiiiiiiitch. Rinni successfully put the basket back in its place, gently sliding it back into its corner next to the washing machine. She frequently sat in the basket, while it was in the corner. Why? The corned was always warm. And when she ‘helped’ Akane with the laundry she always ended up covered in nice warm clothes. She liked helping out with the laundry. But today wasn't a good day for laundry. She unfolded the hoodie and before she got a good look, something slipped out of the front pocket and onto the floor. A small metallic….item- Oh no. She had forgotten the fact that she had sneaked that over here. She stopped breathing, stared at the phone. That cursed phone that simultaneously hurt and saved her. She slowly hunched over to pick it up. It was cold, abnormally cold. Dead things are cold, right? Then she heard something, something she didn't want to hear, something stirring far away and then- steps getting closer. What was she going to do?! Her breathing quickened as she straightened herself and her eyes darted around the room, she barely was able to shove the phone into her pocket when- “what is all this noise about? I am trying to watch a movie without interruptions, but... it seems you've decided to be….a nuisance. As always.” She wasn’t able to move, she faced away from him and shut her eyes tight. She expected a fist to come flying at her, yet she felt nothing, she just nodded weakly and trembled in place, hugging the hoodie tightly. The ginger paused and sighed. taking a step forward, he placed a hand on the cartoonist’s shoulder and whispered with a condescending tone: “Look at people when they talk to you.” The worst and stupidest thing she could do right now would be to not move, to not follow orders. But she was so terrified, it was the only thing she could do, sometimes inaction is worse than action. All she could do was stare down at the hoodie as he forcibly turned her around to face him in one quick motion. “I said.” Much like at the brewery, he grabbed her chin and pulled her face closer to his “ Look at me, coward.” His neutral expression never broke, he had probably done this a million times, it was so easy. She hadn’t become stronger at any point, not even after their talk. Maybe she was a bit more resilient, but all she could do was try to brush things off as best she could, and ignore whatever bad thing happened in this house. “...i….i apologize…..s-sir…” this fucking, terrible, horrible human being. ‘He doesn’t deserve me talking to him’. ‘I can't give in’. ‘He doesn’t deserve to see me cry again’ ‘Never.’ ‘’I'm not going to cry.’ She thought, her voice was barely above a whisper, but it didn't crack as much as it used to. She wanted to- no. She needed to assert herself, were all those things jinko taught her for nothing? ***“Good. You should be sorry.” He let go, and stared her up and down, expecting a reply. Though, all he would get would be a small grunt. Rinni looked back towards the washing machine and was almost able to drop the hoodie into the washer. She was frozen in place though, staring down and thinking. “I see.” He deadpanned with a condescending tone, “you’re washing your boyfriend's clothes? How adorable. I'm sure he won't need that.” She huffed and continued taring down, picking up some detergent and trying not to become violent in her movements. Always be a lady, always be a sweet girl. “You’re absolutely pathetic you know? Still running his errands. Tch. Do you not understand how to move on?” He got closer to her, making himself look taller and more intimidating, just to tick her off. Which worked. She was getting mad, for so many reasons, she just hated this guy. She just huffed and poured in a small amount of detergent, as to not change the smell of the garment too much, while trying her best to keep the phone as hidden as possible. ***“Are you mute now? You seemed much sassier at the brewery. At least you’re more respectful now. It seems you’re a little distracted though, ill have to take this from you.” he made a swift movement and grabbed the hoodie, firmly pulling it away from her. She did not let go though. Her small hands gripped the hoodie. She snapped and turned to give him a solid punch in the stomach with her free hand, which almost barely moved him, but made his hands recoil away. “F-fuck you!” She spat, glaring at him and pulled her hand back once more. Before she was able to, though, he grabbed her wrist and held her in place, looking down at her with a sick grin. “Hm, What was that?” He twisted her arm in a strange and painful direction, Her eyes went wide and brimmed with tears, “d-don't touch what isn't yours! You-you murderer!” She shrieked, through tears, pushing him away with her free hand, making him chuckle even more. “What are you trying? Come on, I bet you’re stronger than skinny little Shinozaki, but it seems you can't even push off your attacker. How amusing.” He continued to chuckle, as she started to cry even more, but successfully yanked her hand away from his grip. Now she could properly fight him, so she did as best she could before he reacted. ‘Rule number one: jaw is the strongest bone on the body, but it doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt to punch it Rule number two: punch em in the dicc’ She always remembered these rules, jinko was a very smart man. He taught her a lot, he always wanted the best for her. It was time to honor his legacy, as best she could. Who knew such a frail little child once knocked someone's teeth out for catcalling her? Well, utsuro hadn't done that, he had done much worse. She was going to make sure he felt this. She made sure he was still slightly dazed by shoving him away again and then swiftly brought up her fist to collide with his jaw. Still gripping the hoodie with her other arm. Wham bam, that actually did something! Utsuro fell backward but was able to catch himself with the wall. “You little-“ WHAM! A SWIFT KICK TO THE GONADS, TAKE THAT YOU MURDERING BASTARD! He let out a small yelp, and flopped onto the ground, holding onto his jaw, he hadn’t sustained much damage, but his head hurt, and it hurt a bunch. He squinted forward, vision blurring slightly as he attempted to get up. He stopped though, this girl wasn’t worth his time, so he would just continue with his snide comments as he sat there. “You’re lucky you caught me off guard-” He huffed. Meanwhile, rinni was moving the hoodie into the washer, when it finished, into the drier, she needed this done, and she needed to get out of here fast. “I'm not lucky. I'm trained,” she muttered “ Now shut up and stay down or I’ll call someone to help me.” “No one will help you, oshi. Just like how no one helped your dear shino-“ She slammed the drier shut, “I told you to shut up!” She snapped back at him, her eyes overflowing with tears as he laughed darkly. “Hah-“ he coughed and closed his eyes, “you are weak…..” he trailed off, his expression softening slightly as he rubbed his aching head, Rinni stared at him before ripping her killer gaze away, he seems to be gone, that’s good. She tapped her foot impatiently as she waited for the noisy machine to be done with her precious item of worship. It was all so loud. ‘Laundry room.’ It hurt. She closed her eyes and wiped her tears away, There were noises outside of the room, upstairs. Someone’s coming. “S-shit!” She whispered, opening the drier with a swift motion and getting on her tiptoes to reach the hoodie, she needed to go. She needed to go *now*. When she was almost done, The ginger sighed, groaning softly as he opened his eyes, “wh-“ “Uh- is everything okay over he…..re….” Hideki popped into the room in some cheerful pajamas. he inquired, then noticed the lucky student sitting against the wall, and rinni scrambling to close the drier and trying to make her way out of the room by skirting around Hideki. The blond stepped into the room and out of her way, quickly speaking again: “B-bro! are you okay? Rinni?” He turned to help the ginger, shooting a glance to the cartoonist with a worried pale face. Yuki groaned and opened his eyes, immediately tensing up as he noticed where he was sitting, “Hideki?! Wh- what happened? What’s going on?!” Rinni just froze outside of the room, staring at the pair with wide eyes as Hideki helped his friend stand up. He noticed Yuki wince and grab his chin, “Rinni what happened?!” “I- he- utsuro! He- I was just!” She stuttered, taking small steps back, “i- I’m sorry!” She continued to step backward as both men stumbled out of the room, “O-oshi san- i-its fine! I understand you….you punching him-“ “it's not fine!” Hideki interjected, “we can't be fighting each other all willy-nilly! We’re supposed to be a family!” “I...i don't think utsuro should be part of this family….” Yuki muttered, combing his hair nervously, “oshi san would agree…. right?” He lifted his gaze to rinni, expecting a nod from the girl. But she had already run off. The lucky student sighed, he wasn’t even sure of what had happened, he just knew his jaw was sore and so were his legs. “L-Let’s….leave this room…” he muttered, he didn’t want to spend much time in the laundry room, it was… not a fun place to be at, to say the least. Meanwhile, the front door slammed shut. The cool night breeze slammed into rinni like a ton of bricks. She hadn’t been outside all day, and her so-called “uncomfortable” t-shirt and sweatpants weren’t very good at keeping her warm. She began to make her way away from the large house, hugging the hoodie tightly before slipping it over her head as she continued on. After about twenty minutes of walking, she arrived at the usual place she liked to spend her time alone: an old abandoned park in a quiet part of the nearby city. (Look at me using metaphors im so sma r t She sighed at the sight, all the swings were rotting, the slide was covered in moss, and there was a web of spiders making their home on the monkey bars. It was sad, to say the least. She climbed up the slide and sat down in a comfortable corner. “... I can't believe I'm doing this- I mean…..” she fiddled with the hoodie and went back and forth remembering all the times Kaz told her she had to move on from Aiden and Junko's deaths. “He said it wouldn’t do me any good- but what if I could never talk to him again….? I...i would die...and- he would be all alone there….with them.” The emphasis on that last word suggested the fact that rinni had thought Kaz to be unhappy with the group. This was not entirely true, both Kaz and rinni were hurt by all the death that had happened, but Kaz learned how to deal with it and move on. He made friends. Rinni never would. (As shown by what she’s doing right now She sighed and reached in her pocket, it was time. Her hands were trembling with excitement as she took the phone and stared at it. “I-if I didn’t have this... I would die- I would so totally die-!” She fumbled with the skull-shaped item for a moment and flipped it open. She was about to explode with glee, soon she could make things normal again, the ticket to her true happiness was right there. She went through the contacts, they seemed to be in the order the other participants died. Yoka, ew no Nikei, nope. M.C, she was nice, but no. Rei, …..no. Sazae, uh- no. ….And there it was. The ticket to happiness. She pressed the call button without hesitation, and waited, holding the phone close to her ear with trembling hands. —————————————————————— ….Bzzzzzzzz …..bzzzzzzzzzzzzz The phone buzzed on the ground of an indeterminable dark area. It seemed it had been dropped there, and no one had bothered to return it to its owner. The rest of the area was quiet and shrouded in a dark mist. The sound of footsteps approaching broke the silence, a feminine figure cut through the mist and stopped over the buzzing phone. “....the fuck?” She remarked, making a confused expression. She crouched and picked up the item, staring at it. It had a name engraved near the bottom, ‘aiden Shinozaki’ “why would he leave his phone unattended…..again. I swear to fucking god,” she muttered She huffed and flipped the phone open, who the hell would be calling at this ungodly hour? The dead didn't need to sleep but still! It's like 4 am! ‘Roshi’ “who the fuck is-“ ah, of course, its a stupid nickname for- “Rinni!?” She gasped, how was she calling? WHY was she calling!? Why couldn’t she have called at a more reasonable time!? She pressed the answer button and held the phone to her ear, “Hello?” greeted the model. “Aiden!?” “Rinni!?” That wasn’t him, a big disappointment is what it was. “J-Junko...?” There was a tinge of fear in the cartoonist’s voice. Why was Junko answering, and not Aiden? Was Junko still mad at her? “Oh my god- rinni! How are you!? How are you calling- that doesn’t matter- are you ok?” There was worry in Junko's voice, she knew how unstable her friend was, all those times she tried to get herself killed made that pretty obvious. “Im….fine- where’s Aiden…..?” “Beats me. I haven't seen him in a while. Last time was when you were all making your grand escape. How’s Kaz?” “So….you don't know where he is?” She sounded slightly defeated, all she wanted to do was talk to Aiden, and now she didn't even know if he was okay or not. Junko sighed, “no rinni. I haven’t seen him. I’ll find him for you, don't worry. But I want to hear about what’s going on over there, tell me about it! How is everyone? Is-is Kaz ok?” “Everyone is fine….um- Kaz is great actually...he’s…. doing well...still building stuff all the time...he made Hideki a voice recorder so he can practice easily... I guess that’s pretty cool…” “It *is* cool! Well...what have you been doing?” she asked with a cheerful tone, “I…..well- I’m on breakfast duty sometimes….so I help miss tiara with that... I do……” she trailed off, what else did she do? She didn’t even draw anymore. She didn’t show up to work either. “Anything else?” “…..no..nothing else…” Junko sighed, “come on rinni. There has to be something for you to do over there. You could draw- don't you like doing that?” there wasn’t much to do when you’re dead, but even then there was stuff to have fun doing, like annoying all the other despairs and running away from Mikan. “I do...but...i just never feel like it…. I just sleep all day...or… follow Kaz around….” There was a long pause. “ have you found Aiden yet-?” Rinni sounded desperate, even after everything that happened she was still worried sick about him. “No. Rinni. Please- stop worrying about him so much, will you? He’s fine. I just found his phone on the ground so he must be nearby.” She twirled a finger around one of her blonde locks of hair and strode away from where she had found the phone, the mist making space for her as she walked. “I’ll find him okay? Let's just keep talking for now, alright?” “....alright...um…” “Did you guys go back to your families or something?” “Well….some people did visit...but we’re all living together now- its….a big house they bought with all the money leftover back at the castle….it was hidekis idea…” “Wow really? Thats awesome! So everyone has their own room and stuff? Tell me yours is all pink- im pretty sure it is!” “Its...mostly pink yeah...its still bare though...i had to bring a bunch of things from home….” “Oh really? Huh...so how’s your fam- THERE YOU ARE YOU PRICK!” Junko suddenly yelled, stomping towards a slumped figure in the middle of the shadowy hall, and kicked it repeatedly, not hard enough to hurt, dead people dont feel pain anyways Rinni almost dropped the phone at junko’s sudden yell, fumbling to not accidentally fall down the dirty old slide, the sun was starting to rise in the distance. “J-junko what happened-!? Did you find him!? Is he there!?” She started to breathe heavily and clutch the phone like a lifeline “Of course he’s here! I told you he would be fine! GET THE FUCK OFF THE GROUND! YOUR GIRLFRIEND WANTS TO TALK TO YOU!” She threw the phone at the unlucky student as he rolled over, it hit him straight on the face. “What are you- “ PHONE-SMACK “um- okay sorry? What- junko?” He fumbled around the ground and managed to find it, “what do you mean my ‘girlfriend’?” Junko stared at him, putting her hands on her hips, “uh. Rinni? Who else would i be talking about? She’s on the phone.” Rinni was having a bit of a moment on the other end of the line, she was biting on her finger trying to keep herself quiet, “Oh- o….kay…?” He picked up the phone and held it up to his ear, “hello??” “H-hi.” Was all she could say right now, “Uh- are you okay? You sound...weird- junko are you pranking me?” “Im not.” She deadpanned, twirling her hair around her finger, not that anyone could see her. “Im- no- shes not joking- I….got the phone and...called…” “....you what? How? When? Didn’t kaz throw it away? How did y-“ Junko intervened, “i dont think that’s important right now.” “I… i dont really remember...i kindof...passed out when he got to our room….” “What were you even doing?! What did i tell you to do? Didnt You hurt yourself? Why did you think i would want you to do that?” “I was- just….following orders….t-thats not bad right?” He let out a long sigh, this bitch. “It *is* bad! Didn’t i tell you you had free will!? Why do you keep doing those things! Im trying to keep you alive!” “Is this seriously how you two are gonna talk?” The fashionista intervened again, “its been a long ass time since you two talked and you’re gonna *yell*?” Aiden sighed, “well im sorry im trying to keep my ‘girlfriend’ alive then.” He made airquotes for the girlfriend part, using that word was weird, Junko huffed and rolled her eyes, Rinni tried to break the silence, “I- well...its fine i think...I didn’t...I didn’t hurt myself-“ “Yes you did rinni! I w- yknow im not doing this. You’re okay now? That’s what matters, i guess.” “R-right….” her voice started to break, she was so happy, but she was sad and scared at the same time, “Dont tell me you’re about to cry again.” “Im- *sniff* yeah...i...im sorry….. i love you-“ her voice was quiet and small, she didnt want to be loud and annoy them, “You cry a lot….. i mean- thats fine. You dont need to apologize. I told you that too.” His tone wasn’t reassuring, it was just, neutral, as always. Junko stayed quiet, it would be best to give them their time, she thought. “Im sorry….im just really sad and-“ “Its fine, rinni. You dont need to give me excuses, i still love you, ok? Now tell me about what’s going on over there, im curious.” He asked, Rinni relaxed in her corner, adjusting the hoodie in order to not get cold, mornings here were always cold. “Um- we’re all in one house….a really big one...and we all have our own rooms, i...mine is pink- i told this to junko earlier….its...nice...i guess….though i wish i could go home….” “Home? With your parents?” “Y-yeah...i….only saw them once a couple days ago...i…miss them..and...losing me too...would be...yknow…” “Oh, right- but….i think living with others who you’re really close to will do you good. You cant cling to your parents forever.” “I...i know….” “Its a harsh reality- im sorry...well- uh anyways….how did you even get the phone back?” Rinni thought for a long time, the whole escape situation was a blur. She remembers the confrontation at the trial room, how yuki shot mikan, how they had all hoped they could revive the deceased participants. They tested on rei, since no one was sure if it would work or not, it….didn’t work. She remembered when junko talked to mika over the phone and...just made things worse. She remembered when she had asked kaz for the phone after all the deceased had been turned into ultimate despairs, she remembered talking to junko and aiden, they both had sounded angry, kaz tried to take the phone away, she remembered running away and locking herself in her room. Doing whatever aiden told her to do, she had liked it. It hurt and it was good because it made him happy, she wished she could still make him that happy. She remembered it hurting, and kaz bursting in to stop her, the last thing she remembers is kaz hugging her and aiden screaming over the phone. “I…..dont know. I cant remember much….” “You dont *know*?” Aiden pressed, how could she not know? That wasn’t even a month ago! “Post traumatic stress disorder makes remembering things hard sometimes, dipshit. I should know, my sister is a soldier and she sometimes forgets what she ate for breakfast.” The model explained, “im pretty sure we’re all at least a little traumatized now. Especially her and kaz…” “.....right.” He sighed, “I just found it...in your hoodie- i-i was going to wash it earlier and….the phone just...fell out…” Junko was now very interested in this conversation, at least they weren’t having lovey-dovey talk, that way it wasn’t awkward. She walked over to aiden and sat down next to him so she could listen in. “How come you didn’t find it before? I remember you never took that damn hoodie off, why did it take so long for you to notice it was there?” “W-well….I didn’t wear it out very often...when we got back here we had to be out a lot- buying the house...grocery shopping….interviews….things like that..and...i didnt want to get it dirty...so i just kept it in my bag…..” “Thats cute- you’re really attached to me... heh…” “I am not- i….just…..” she protested, all this cute talk was making her flustered, “Awwww- rinni its okay to be attached to someone! It’s pretty sweet of you, i kinda wish kazuichi was like that…….nah- he’s good the way he is.” Junko chuckled as she finished talking. “Im guessing you and kaz hang out a lot, right?” That was a nice, innocent, question. No jealousy in that tone, nope, none. “Sometimes...yeah…but….i mostly spend my time alone…” “Do you? But- i thought we had gotten over that...right? You should really be more outgoing- make more friends, i dunno.” “Aiden’s right for once,” the model added, as the student in question glared in her general direction, “You need to make more friends- obsessing over the dead ones isnt doing you any good. None of this is-“ “But i-“ “No ‘but’s rinni. Go and talk to people more, plus, everyone’s a family, you guys all survived together, you should be proud of that.” there was slight guilt in junko's voice. “....do you still have the rock i gave you-?” “Yes-yes its in my room. Im keeping it safe….” “Good. remember our promise, ok?” “I will…..” There was another long silence, rinni could not hear any breathing coming from the phone, junko interrupted the silence once again. “so , rinni, is aiden a good kisser?” “Why would you-” “Y-YES” she blurted out, the answer was yes. She didn't even bother putting an effort to stop the words from leaving her mouth. Aiden put his hand to his face and let out an exasperated sigh, “that was... uncalled for.” “Listen. I needed to know. Nobody deserves to be with a sub-par kisser.” She chuckled, “I mean- i…..he’s okay….im not sure what….” she yawned, “im not sure….what qualifies as a good kiss or a bad kiss…..” “You sound tired.” Aiden interrupted, “what time is it, anyways?” “Uhm…” rinni reached into her other pocket, and took out her own phone. It looked drastically different from the skull shaped flipphone she was speaking into. It was pink, and had a star charm hanging from it. “Its….6:46 am……” “, how long have you even been awake?” “Um….a while….a couple hours at most…..” The unlucky student sighed, he was tired too. But it wasn’t the same kind of tiredness. He wasn’t tired as if he would fall asleep, he was tired of rinni’s shit. But he decided not to say anything, and the silence returned for a brief moment. “Hey rinni-“ junko interrupted again, “do you think that phone can take pictures? You could show us the house- and a bunch of other stuff maybe. Dont you think that would be fun?” “I wouldn’t be able to see any of them. So... that’s for you two to enjoy.” “Dont be such a party pooper. Jesus-“ the model protested. “Sorry for being a realist.” “Im sorry...i….i dont know if it does...but….I’ll check later...im sorr-“ RING RING RING rinni yelped and dropped both the phones she was holding, hers had begun to ring loudly before she could’ve finished her sentence. “Rinni?! What happened!?” Junko’s voice called from the skull shaped object. She stared at the phone for a moment, wondering why it was making that loud noise. She hesitated before picking it up and taking a look at the screen. ‘kazoo pepsiman’ Is Calling Answer Ignore. She stared at the screen for a long time, then decided to put the phone down, as it continued to ring. “Uh...rinni?” Aiden finally asked, his voice was more relaxed than junko’s. But he still sounded….a little worried. She scrambled to pick up the skull phone and held it up to her ear again. “Im sorry- i….my phone rang. Its nothing….just a prank call….” she assured them “I know you’re lying rinni.” He sounded slightly angry now, “who’s calling you?” “Um- its…..” she hesitated telling. If she did then the same thing that happened during the escape would happen here! But- no. She can't lie to aiden, that always ends up bad, terrible. Never lie to aiden. ‘He’ll hate me.’ She thought. She can’t ever lie to him. Maybe he can help? He’s much smarter anyways. She should tell him, why wouldn’t she? Should junko know too? Would she tell kaz to take the phone away again? No, she wouldn’t. She was even more excited about talking to rinni than aiden was. She wouldn't do that! “Its...kaz…” she finally confessed in her small voice “Kaz? Really? Why don't you answer?” The model questioned, leaning closer towards the unlucky student’s phone. Small shards of glass pressed into her manicured hands, “I just-“ “You should answer. He’s probably worried sick about you. Why would he be calling though….are you not at home? Where are you?!” Aiden Questioned, sounding worried. “Im sorry- i- i can't...he’s going to take away the phone and- i can't lose you guys again...i...i can't-!” She began to cry, hugging her knees as she sat. “Rinni. Please. Where are you. Did you run away? Is that it?” “Im pretty sure,”muttered junko, who had already figured out the whole situation. “She found the phone and ran away to call us so kaz wouldn’t take it away from her….” Rinni continued to cry, not having heard any of what junko had explained to the unlucky student. He tried to comfort her, “rinni….its okay. Junko and i can explain to kaz what happened- he’ll let you keep the phone, im sure of it. I’ll convince him,don't worry, okay? Everything’s going to be fine…” he used a different tone than his normal one when he spoke to her, it was much less cold. “Okay….do i...do i call him back…?” “Yes. Go ahead and do that, we’ll wait.” He affirmed, staring dead ahead with dull eyes Junko stared at him silently. Listening to rinni tap away on her own phone. She sighed, remembering the times when things were actually normal. Back when they were all alive and happy. Sometimes they would all get together and play games, make food, do fun, friend things. She remembered when they all made their own locks after they had gotten separated. She was afraid her friends would get hurt. She was lucky none of them were. Well, for a time at least. ‘But aiden had to be an idiot.’ She thought to herself. Rinni tapped away on her phone, she was still too scared to call kaz, so she was sending him a text instead. ‘Rinni: hi kaz kazoo pepsiman: where are you!?!?!? kazoo pepsiman: why arent you answering? Are you okay!??! Rinni: im fine dont worry kazoo pepsiman: of course im worrying! Hideki just told me what happened and you RAN AWAY!???????? Rinni: i did, I’ll be back soon kazoo pepsiman: just tell me where you are I’ll go get you’ She wiped her eyes and picked up the ghost phone, “he’s asking where i am. He says he’s going to come get me, w-what do i do? What do i do-“ “Where even are you rinni?” The model asked, “Im- its...this abandoned park….its not too far from the house….” “Why did y- nevermind.” Aiden sighed, “just let him come, that way we can all talk…” “Okay- um….I’ll tell him that…” ‘Kazoo pepsiman: rinni????? Rinni: im fine im at the abandoned park Kazoo pepsiman: what ? Where? Rinni’s location sent Kazoo pepsiman: why the fuck are you at an abandoned park you could get kidnapped again oh my god rinni why do you do these things I’ll be there soon.’ —————————————————————— Kaz was pacing back and forth in his room, staring into his phone’s screen with fearful eyes. Once he finished typing the last message he shoved his phone in his pocket and bolted out of the room. “Fucking christ rinni- i swear….” he walked over to her door and struggled to open it, fiddling with the doorknob. After a while of thinking it was locked, he managed to get it open. There was no one inside, i mean, she did say she had snuck out. But kaz had hoped it was some sort of game. “No no no no….” he scrambled around the room and looked everywhere, he ended up throwing many of her pillows around and onto the floor. It was final. There was no one here. But wait, what's that? In his haste, he managed to find something under all the pillows. A small pastel blue notebook, what? He walked over and carefully picked it up. “A diary?” He opened it and started to read the fake entries. “What is this…..” he continued to read, and flipped through the rest of the pages. He noticed there was also writing on the back. He flipped the notebook upside down and began to read that too. His tense expression softened into a look of worry, there wasn’t much written there, but there was enough for him to acknowledge. He sighed and set the notebook down on the desk. Then left the room, carefully shutting the door behind himself. He walked briskly down the stairs and was greeted by a couple of people buzzing about. “Good morning Kazuichi, it’s strange to see you awake so early.” Akane greeted, she was out of her usual maid uniform, she looked like a tired mother, but she was still elegant and presentable. “Oh, hi akane. Sorry, I’m in a bit of a hurry-“ kaz bumbled around the kitchen and took a bottle of water from the fridge, “Don’t worry. Would you like some toast? Eggs?” “Some toast would be nice, thank you! I'm in a hurry though… you won't take long, right?” He sounded slightly worried, but still kept his cheerful attitude. “Alright, it won't be long.” The maid got to work on the toaster and tossed a couple slices of toasted bread onto a plate. She continued to put pieces of untoasted bread into the toaster, and handed kaz the plate. “Here you are.” “Thank youu” he took the toast and a couple napkins, still in a hurry. She turned to the mechanic, “You seem stressed kazuichi, is something wrong?” “Oh- well yeah. I-“ “Does it have something to do with what happened between rinni and yuki last night?” She questioned, interrupting kaz. Kaz stayed quiet and stared at the maid with disbelief. “What-? He told me.” She explained in an innocent tone Kaz sighed, “yes. It does. She’s run away, luckily I know where she is now, im gonna go get her.” He looked at the floor and adjusted his beanie. “Oh, that's terrible. I hope you find her soon.” The maid replied robotically as she returned to her business. She never really liked rinni, the girl was a bit of a nuisance to say the least. Especially after shinozaki's murder. She just wouldn't stop crying and “protecting” the corpse. If it wasn’t for the maid confessing, they would probably have come close to losing the trial. And her endless bickering and fighting with utsuro was getting on akanes nerves as well. “Yeah, thanks.” Kaz replies as he headed out of the kitchen and out of the house. ——————————————————————- Meanwhile, back at the phone call realm: Junko decided to leave aiden and rinni to talk alone, she was going to look for rei anyways. “Hey rinni, i need to tell you something.” Aiden sat against the wall in whatever hallway he had collapsed in earlier. “H-huh? What is it….?” She asked curiously, she had stopped crying a while ago. “Roses are red-“ “Oh no-“ “Violets are blue-“ “Oh god-“ “If you were a pokemon, I’d choose you!” He said with a grin, Rinni giggled, “oh- that was terrible...i love you too…!” She smiled, that was adorable, she loved it. “Yeah….it was….” he admitted, “but its true, so...i had to say it.” Rinni glanced around the playground, it was much brighter now, “so….cant you…..do ghost things and come over…?” She asked, it would be nice for aiden to be her while she waitsfor kazuichi. But….she still does remember the conversation she had with him about the extent of his spooky ghost abilities. She more or less knew he could only appear wherever he was in the shadow realm, but she wasnt sure. Aiden sighed, “I’m not sure….either i just cant appear anymore...or it would take way too much energy and I wouldn’t be able to stay long….or…..” he trailed off, thinking. He stared dead ahead with a thoughtful expression. “Or……?” “....you could come back to the island.” She was silent, wide eyed in realization of that possibility. Cogs were turning wildly inside her head, occasionally getting caught on eachother and ceasing to function. “I mean- i don't want that for you. Alright? I wanted you to escape and to be happy. I promised i would protect you and i will. You should definitely stay at home with everyone, you’ll be safe that way. I don't want you getting hurt more than you’ve already been.” He explained simply, speaking slowly for rinni to understand. She was silent. Aiden changed the subject. “So- um….have you….gone back to your studio? Have you found any of your friends?” He was curious, surely she had some friends back home before they were all taken. “Um...no...I haven’t...i just asked everyone to fill in with the scripts we had ready….i dont think im ready to go back to work….” she ignored the latter question, and fidgeted with the hoodie strings. “Well, you need the rest….” he trailed off, “ive only been able to see a little, i dont want to tell junko though. That house you all got is….pretty big. I almost feel jealous.” “It is. Its...too big. It just feels so empty all the time...hah….i mean- im more used to small places….they feel nice and cozy….like our servants room…! But- the house just feels empty….all the time…” she rambles slightly, thinking back to that room that was always strangely comfortable to her. Even after aiden was dead, and after she had to bury him, the room still felt….comfortable and familiar. Inviting.Occupied. The house, sadly, was none of those things. He listened, “Oh- you feel that way…? Even with all those people there, it feels empty….” he thinks for a while, but decides not to press. Onto another topic! “Have you been eating well recently? I remember you forgetting to eat at the island.” She sighs, she’s not going to lie to aiden. “I haven’t eaten in a while….but i do eat sometimes...so im not completely...bad- but...I’m trying...i just dont feel like it most of the time…” “Alright, you’re trying. That’s what counts…” he half smiles, glad that at least some things are functional, and glad that rinni probably won't puke up blood any time soon. Bzzzt-! It was barely audible, a message has arrived! Rinni jumped, and picked up her real phone. “Hm- what was that? Did kaz text you again?” “I think- yes…” ‘Kazoo pepsiman: where the fuuuuck am i now, rinni why Kazoo pepsiman: holy shit this is creepy!!!!!!! Kazoo pepsiman: rinni girl please tell me where you are like really fast i wanna get out of here what is this an abandoned amusement park or something Rinni: i think it is...its sad Kazoo pepsiman: oh yeah i brought you toast too! Rinni: thank you Rinni: I’ll find you i think Kazoo pepsiman: i can scream really loud if it helps Rinni: oh man please dont you’re gonna scare the ghosts Kazoo pepsiman: the what now Rinni: im kidding Rinni: they cant come here, its too far away for them Kazoo pepsiman: right. Okay im at a uh…. weird looking statue of a lady holding what looks like a…. Rinni: flowers? Kazoo pepsiman: i guess? Rinni: oh thats sarah! Kazoo pepsiman: okay im with sarah, hangin out! Hanging out, its fun, yup.’ She half smiled, “alright, dont go- im...gonna go find kaz, he’s lost…” “Alright. I’ll be here. Be careful.” Aiden sighed, and pulled the phone away from his ear, Rinni grabbed onto a pipe from the park structure she sat on, and got up, shoving both phones into her pockets. She looks around, squinting through the thick glasses she had taken from Aiden’s corpse. “Aw man… im so tired…” she hops off the structure and falls to the ground with a thud. Now begins the search for mister Souda. She begins fumbling with the hoodie as she walks off in the direction she remembers the statue being in, barely looking up into the now bright sky. Meanwhile, back at the house, akane busies herself with breakfast, mikako sits quietly at the table, reading from her spirit tags. Both the Maedas were sat at the couch chatting away the morning, some crabs scuttled about the ground, picking up crumbs from taira’s cooking. “Can crabs even eat rice?” Yuki piped up, picking up one of the decapods from the ground, “I didn't think they would like it….dont they just eat seaweed and stuff? Akane turns away from her cooking, holding a floppy, wet, piece of seaweed that was left over, “im not sure, but i cant let all my ingredients go to waste before we go shopping next week.” She gives yuki a small smile and turns back to her cooking.


End file.
